New fleeces! How to wash them!

This past weekend was the Common Ground Fair in Unity, ME full of workshops and veggies and wicked good food and the smell of sweet annie and of course, the fleece tent. A WHOLE TENT FULL OF BAGS AND BAGS OF ANIMAL FLEECES. This includes not just sheep (all different breeds) but also alpaca fleeces, angora goats, cashmeres, and some angora bunny and horse hair. It is an overwhelming experience of sticking your hands in every bag, a process that leaves you with lanolin moisturized skin and a distinct barn smell. After doing my first walk through I began to descend on bags of sheep fleece that called out to me. I was looking for something clean, unique, long staple (better for hand spinning), soft, with good crimp (means more wool per staple), and affordable (between $5-$10 a pound). After touching every bag (whoops) I approached the table where I could lay them out with 6 bags of fleece (another whoops). Upon inspection I narrowed it down to 3 different sheep, the ones without large amounts of timothy seed heads or burdock, two plants that are insanely frustrating to card as they send seeds throughout the wool. I left the fair with 1 icelandic colored sheep whose fleece is brown, long, and grey in places, sometimes looking eerily like human hair, and 2 white curly haired sheep with long staples, perfect for dyeing. On the ride home back to MDI the car smelled of sheep and of the potential for many skeins and experimental dyeing projects. 
At home now, before any of the fiber fun can begin I have to wash these fleece. Here's how to wash your newly acquired fleece! Try and do this as quickly as you can from bringing them home. Dirty fleece should really not sit around in a plastic bag as these contain moisture which has the potential to felt your entire fleece. Not fun. Unless you want an unintentional pelt. Once clean and dry it is best to store fleece in cloth or paper bags.
Step 1. I warned my roommates. That for the afternoon our bathroom would smell like a herd of sheep found shelter in our bathroom. Because indeed, the smell is strong. 
Step 2. I filled the bathtub with HOT water from the tap. If it is not hot enough, add a pot of boiling water. 
Step 3. Slowly stir in 1/2 cup commercial dish soup, under the water. DO NOT agitate or make bubbles. That could felt it.
Step 4. Leave for an hour.
Step 5. Drain water and squeeze out fleece, placing it in a bucket temporarily as you...
Step 6. Refill tub with HOT water and introduce fleece again. Soak for another hour. Repeat this step one more time, till water runs relatively clean.
Step 7. Lay out to dry on screens. It may take up to a week to fully dry (make sure weather is good!)

Back in the fleece game

SO I lied. More blog posts didn't follow as the spring and summer season swept me away with all the vegetables that needed someone to baby them until harvest time. I have ended up on Mount Desert Island for the farming season and am thankful its fall for many reasons. First, because for someone who is obsessed with food I revel in the pumpkin bread and apple cider donuts. And then there is the slowing down of things on the farm and the cool weather that means wearing my favorite sweaters. And then there is WOOL! This is the time I start dyeing and spinning again. 

So here is an update:

I took care of alpacas for a lil while

And quickly decided that they are odd odd creatures, despite their coats being super soft. As I teetered around and fed them their strict diets I felt them silently judging me. And sometimes I got spit on. 

Then I went to shearing school!!

There is something very nerve wracking about having a fast moving large blade in your hands and attempting to give a haircut to a squirming beast that weighs more than you. All my sheep victims left with alternative style haircuts of uneven buzzing... I'm hoping to practice more in the future...

Before and After....  

And then summer hit and I got consumed by my ducks, dog, vegetables, vegetables, more vegetables, and some dishes (part time dishwashing job). But I'm back! For real this time, I plan to keep track of my fiber happenings here as they tend to deliciously consume my free time from October on...